4 Homemade Gym Equipment Ideas

Photo by: Bigstockphoto
Photo by: Bigstockphoto

Not everyone can afford a pricey gym equipment, much more a decent home gym. For the rest of us who’d rather use our hard-earned cash on more important things (like food), it takes a little creativity to stay fit. If you’re setting your home gym but the budget doesn’t allow it, why not make your own equipment instead? Below are easy (and cheap!) homemade gym equipment ideas:

1. Medicine Ball

You can use a medicine ball to add resistance to various exercises.

To make a medicine ball, you will need an old but usable basketball, two bags of sand and rolls of duct tape. Start by cutting a 2”x2” hole in the near the air tube. Don’t throw away the cutout piece. Fill the ball with enough sand to achieve the desired weight. Now get the cutout piece, slap it back on the hole and secure with duct tape.

2. Jump Box

This is a great gym tool if you love cardio or aerobic exercises.

To create your own jump box, you will need about 4”x8” plywood, about three quarter inch thick. Get screws or nails, a saw and gorilla glue.

Start by cutting a 30”x22” panels, two 30”x20” panels and two 18”x22” panels. These panels should make a 24-inch jump box. Now, glue the panels together to form a box and let the whole thing dry completely. Once the glue is dry, insert a screw or nail to every two to three inches of the box and you’re done!

3. Light Hand Weights

These hand weights will strengthen the arms and add definition! You can also incorporate the hand weights to various upper body exercises.

To create your own light hand weights, you will need a sharp knife, bicycle inner tubes, sand and duct tape. Start by cutting the inner bicycle tubes into equal lengths. Secure one end of the tube with duct tape. Fill each one with sand then secure the other end with duct tape. You can either leave the weights flat or bend them in a circular shape. To find out if you have the right weight, you can use a scale to weigh every hand weight to check.

4. Kettle Ball

Kettle ball exercises will tone the arms and butt. These nifty tools could also improve upper body strength!

To create your own kettle ball, you will need old basketballs, about 1”x24” PVC pipes, duct tape and sand. You will also need quick mix concrete and a sharp knife.

Start by securing one end of the pipe with duct tape and filling it with sand. Cover the other end. Now, pop the sand-filled pipe in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. When done, the pipe should be pliant enough to be shaped into a kettle ball handle. Tape the ends with duct tape to secure the U-shape.  Finally, immerse the pipe in cold water to set the shape.

Move on to slitting the basketballs with a sharp knife. The slits should be big enough to fit the PVC pipe. Stick the handle inside the ball.

In a separate container, mix the concrete then get a small amount. Fill the ball with concrete. Let the whole thing dry for three days before using the kettle ball.


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